Combination feeding and weaning

[Saramcg]

Hi!
My LOL in 5 1/2 months. She's combination fed and has been for several months. She's mainly breastfed but has 2 6oz bottles tea time and before bed. Went to get her weighed today and all is well with her. She's happy and healthy. Bit health visiting team always commenting on how big she is (her dad is a huge guy) I'm considering weaning her onto solids very soon as all signs are there but health visiting team said to drop the formula feeds or She'll put on too much weight when weaning her.
I'm worried now about my milk supply at tea time bed time if I stop the formula when weaning onto solids. Has anyone any experience with this? Any advice?

[EveryoneTalkAboutPopMusic]

Did they measure her length too? Is she tracking her weight centile?

[Saramcg]

No. But she's been jumping up centiles everytime she is weighed. She's up to the 101st. My husband is 6ft 6" and I was a big baby too.

[EveryoneTalkAboutPopMusic]

Weight centiles are pretty meaningless without knowing her height being measured too, if you do want to drop formula feeds, could you try the teatime one? Your supply will be well established by now and you will soon adjust.

I would still question the advice though. If she is showing all the signs of readiness its fine to start but at first you only offer food once a day and it doesn't even have to be every day. You then gradually build up offering food 3 times a day between 8 and 9 months. It's also important to offer the food roughly an hour after a milk feed, at least at first, so that baby doesn't drop milk feeds too quickly. With all that in mind, I find it hard to see how having a bit of food once a day is going to pile on her weight. I'd also read up on baby led Weaning as recent research suggests that babies who have done blw instead of spoon feeding have a healthier weight later. Have a read of the starting solids info on Kellymom, if nothing else, the graph on dropping feeds is very useful

If they mention it again, could you ask them to measure her length too?

[Saramcg]

Thanks I didn't realise that centiles are meaningless without length measurements. They've never measured her length but seem very focused on the centiles each time I take her to the baby clinic. And thanks for the advice. Very much appreciated.

[EveryoneTalkAboutPopMusic]

They should have measured her before voicing their concerns over her weight IMHO. If she's on say the 2nd for height but the 101st for length you can see the problem but if she's 101st for weight and height, she's in proportion and somebody has to be at the top of the centiles, just like someone is is in the middle and someone is at the bottom.

If it helps, my DN has always been on the 98th for both but was probably a bit heavier at around the age your DD is now. They naturally slim down a bit when they start to move. She's in High School now and although she's still on the 98th for both, there isn't an ounce of fat on her. She's a very sporty, tall young lady

[Saramcg]

Thanks so much. That's so helpful. I will insist in her being measured next time too so I have a better idea of where she is at.